Kayaking: The Great Calusa Blueway is a paddling trail developed by Lee County Parks & Recreation. It consists of 190 miles of trails in three regions — Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass, the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries, and Estero Bay. Outfitters: Coast Connection in Bokeelia (coastconnectionfl.com), at the northern end of Pine Island, is one of many paddling outfitters and is located right on the Calusa Blueway at Jug Creek. Owner Scott Player rents single and double kayaks ($35 and $45, respectively, per day and $25 and $35 for a half-day)

Q. I like to make fruit pies, but I always have trouble making them in advance; they always get soggy if they are not eaten on the day they are baked. Is there a way I can get the pie ready, then bake it when I need it? A. I have had good luck with freezing completely assembled but unbaked apple pies. The frozen pies took approximately the same amount of time to bake as freshly made unfrozen pies. This is especially good if you want to take advantage of a good supply of apples in the fall or if you just feel like getting ahead on some baking at any other time of the year.

Linda McCartney, one of the world's most famous vegetarians, doesn't divulge anything too personal in her new cookbook. So don't expect to find out what hubby ex-Beatle Paul eats for breakfast or what this couple's favorite dish is for romantic occasions. Even a Q&A section in the back of "Linda's Kitchen" (Fubfinch, 1995, $25.95) gives only general answers to questions you might have about becoming vegetarian. In fact, the most personal quip comes in response to the question "What are the reasons for not eating meat?"

Kayaking: The Great Calusa Blueway is a paddling trail developed by Lee County Parks & Recreation. It consists of 190 miles of trails in three regions — Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass, the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries, and Estero Bay. Outfitters: Coast Connection in Bokeelia (coastconnectionfl.com), at the northern end of Pine Island, is one of many paddling outfitters and is located right on the Calusa Blueway at Jug Creek. Owner Scott Player rents single and double kayaks ($35 and $45, respectively, per day and $25 and $35 for a half-day)

North: I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to shopping in Boca Raton's Town Center Mall. Recently, I've discovered a way to keep my shopping time down to 90 minutes - and save money too. Here's how I do it. I arrive around 11:30 a.m. My first stop is Bayside Grill, the new restaurant that replaced L & N Seafood in the mall. I walk straight to the bar and ask for my takeout order to be ready at 1 p.m. I get the Fish Sandwich ($6.95), a selection of fresh fish that changes daily (usually it's either swordfish, grouper, tuna or mahi-mahi)

With darkness coming earlier and earlier, I find myself reaching for my soup pot when dinner time approaches. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than a steaming bowl of soup for supper, especially as the weather cools. Many soups benefit from a slow simmer on the back of the stove, but because I often need to pull dinner together in less than an hour I have come up with many different main-dish soups that can be made quickly. Ingredients for my soup pot are influenced by what I happen to have on hand or specials featured in the supermarket that week.

Soap fans know Robin Mattson for her deliciously wicked roles - the conniving Gina Timmons on Santa Barbara, the deadly Janet Green on ABC's All My Children. She has killed a rapist with a crowbar, imprisoned her sister in a well, had a baby with Trevor (the sister's husband), gone to prison, blackmailed the owner of the Cluck Cluck Chicken Shack after a night's dalliance, cut the brake line on Laurel's car (Laurel is Trevor's new love) and recently lost a custody battle for her baby Amanda.

Q. I like to make fruit pies, but I always have trouble making them in advance; they always get soggy if they are not eaten on the day they are baked. Is there a way I can get the pie ready, then bake it when I need it? A. I have had good luck with freezing completely assembled but unbaked apple pies. The frozen pies took approximately the same amount of time to bake as freshly made unfrozen pies. This is especially good if you want to take advantage of a good supply of apples in the fall or if you just feel like getting ahead on some baking at any other time of the year.

Q.Could you possibly get the recipe for either the Black Bean Soup or the Chowder from the Black Orchid Cafe? I had lunch there recently and ordered one soup; my friends had the other and we loved them both. _ Dorothy Pringle, Fort Lauderdale A.When I recently had lunch at the Black Orchid Cafe, 2985 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-561-9398, I took advantage of the opportunity to pass along Pringle's request. A few days later, chef/owner George Tellis had his recipe for Roasted Corn Chowder ready for me. Among the ingredients was cubed apple wood smoked bacon.

North: I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to shopping in Boca Raton's Town Center Mall. Recently, I've discovered a way to keep my shopping time down to 90 minutes - and save money too. Here's how I do it. I arrive around 11:30 a.m. My first stop is Bayside Grill, the new restaurant that replaced L & N Seafood in the mall. I walk straight to the bar and ask for my takeout order to be ready at 1 p.m. I get the Fish Sandwich ($6.95), a selection of fresh fish that changes daily (usually it's either swordfish, grouper, tuna or mahi-mahi)

With darkness coming earlier and earlier, I find myself reaching for my soup pot when dinner time approaches. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than a steaming bowl of soup for supper, especially as the weather cools. Many soups benefit from a slow simmer on the back of the stove, but because I often need to pull dinner together in less than an hour I have come up with many different main-dish soups that can be made quickly. Ingredients for my soup pot are influenced by what I happen to have on hand or specials featured in the supermarket that week.

Q.Could you possibly get the recipe for either the Black Bean Soup or the Chowder from the Black Orchid Cafe? I had lunch there recently and ordered one soup; my friends had the other and we loved them both. _ Dorothy Pringle, Fort Lauderdale A.When I recently had lunch at the Black Orchid Cafe, 2985 N. Ocean Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-561-9398, I took advantage of the opportunity to pass along Pringle's request. A few days later, chef/owner George Tellis had his recipe for Roasted Corn Chowder ready for me. Among the ingredients was cubed apple wood smoked bacon.

Soap fans know Robin Mattson for her deliciously wicked roles - the conniving Gina Timmons on Santa Barbara, the deadly Janet Green on ABC's All My Children. She has killed a rapist with a crowbar, imprisoned her sister in a well, had a baby with Trevor (the sister's husband), gone to prison, blackmailed the owner of the Cluck Cluck Chicken Shack after a night's dalliance, cut the brake line on Laurel's car (Laurel is Trevor's new love) and recently lost a custody battle for her baby Amanda.

Linda McCartney, one of the world's most famous vegetarians, doesn't divulge anything too personal in her new cookbook. So don't expect to find out what hubby ex-Beatle Paul eats for breakfast or what this couple's favorite dish is for romantic occasions. Even a Q&A section in the back of "Linda's Kitchen" (Fubfinch, 1995, $25.95) gives only general answers to questions you might have about becoming vegetarian. In fact, the most personal quip comes in response to the question "What are the reasons for not eating meat?"